HD video playback

[westbros]

Hi. I have a question about HD video playback. I am looking to buy my first tablet and would like a Samsung to partner my Galaxy SIII. I am keeping an eye on all the rumours about Samsung's tablet line for 2013, and last year's Note 10.1 is just one possibility for me.

The reviews state that the native screen resolution of the Note 10.1 is 1280 x 800. They also state that the tablet is compatible with 1080p video playback. Now my understanding of the definition of 1080p is that this refers to a "Full HD" resolution of 1920 x 1080 (based on 16:9 aspect ratio). Would I be correct in saying then that, while the Note 10.1 can play 1080p video, the resolution of what you see will inevitably be limited by the 1280 x 800 screen resolution, i.e. the picture will not be as sharp as on a tablet like the Nexus 10 (or Samsung's rumoured equivalent for later this year) which has a native resolution of 2560 x 1600?

I ask this question because most of the videos I have taken on my Galaxy SIII have been in 1920 x 1080, and I would plan to move these to a tablet for better viewing. And what about watching HD movies on the tablet? Would I be better going for a tablet with a higher native resolution?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Szadzik]

Your understanding is of course correct.

Does it affect the actual movie-watching experience? Nope. Not on a 10" screen, anyway.

 

[westbros]

Thanks for the quick reply. Are you saying then that I really wouldn't notice the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 10" screen?

What about the Note 8.0? That too has a 1280 x 800 resolution and therefore a higher pixel density than the 10.1, so would videos/movies look better on the 8.0? Admittedly the screen is of course smaller!

Incidentally there have been rumours of Samsung having an 8" tablet with a Full HD 1080p AMOLED screen in the pipeline, but the reported specs of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 certainly do not match this. Maybe Samsung will unveil TWO high-end tablets in September - an 8" and a 10.1/11"? What do you think?

 

[NeoGrandizer]

Everyday use, you probably won't notice any real difference between 1080p or 720p. Regardless of PPI, there's always an optimal viewing distance for screen size and resolutions. That is unless you are a videophile and nitpicky about it.

Viewing a 720p video is more ideal than 1080p as it will be less demanding. Since the system doesn't have to work on downscaling a 1080p video to an acceptable 720p resolution to fit within the limits of the physical screen resolution. I have a 720p projector projecting on a 80" screen. If I sit up close, of course I'm going to see a difference. But when sitting a bit further away, I can hardly tell the difference.

With a Note 2 I tend to hold the device a little closer to me than the 10.1. It looks more sharp, but so does the Note 10.1 held a little farther from me. I'm no videophile, but can say, I can't really tell the difference between the screens I have.

However, if you are a professional multimedia user/editor, you will and can tell a difference with PPI. The reason being, your face is litterally going to be more glued to the screen looking for slight small imperfections, etc. Also working closer to the screen than further away and zooming in on the edits. Otherwise, a regular user, will not really notice any difference at all.